


Babysitter

by amerrierworld



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Thor: Ragnarok - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, I guess???, Nudity, Romance, Spoilers, Stockholm Syndrome, kind of, spoilers for ragnarok & infinity war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24209467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amerrierworld/pseuds/amerrierworld
Summary: With Asgard destroyed, Thor and Loki have some pressing matters on hand, but they need to leave their sister, who survived Ragnarok, somewhere to be taken care of. Somehow, they end up knocking on your door.
Relationships: Hela (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 39
Kudos: 318





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it! Let me know what you think- hit me up either here or on my tumblr amerrierworld.tumblr.com <3

They’d shown up on your doorstep without any real warning. Thor (with only one eye), Loki, and a scowling dark-haired figure with shackles around her wrists and a mouthguard.

You had a pot of tea in your hands and nearly spilled the contents on their feet at the startling sight of the trio.

“Uh-, hi?” you stammered.

“Y/N!” Thor began, bellowing loudly with a hand clapping you on the shoulder. “How _lovely_ it is to see you. It’s been, what, ages, really!”

“...Uh-huh.”

“Mind if we come in?” Loki said dryly, but Thor was already pushing his way through, shoving their prisoner in front of him and making his way to your living room.

“Wha, uh, what exactly is going on?” you stammered, following them quickly. “Why are you here?”

Thor was already rummaging through your fridge as he usually does when he or any of the Avengers came to visit your place. You were considered a safe house for them, since you had no real powers or threatening information, but were rather a comrade to the team of superheroes over the years.

The God of Thunder had his face in your box of leftovers as Loki came over and sat on your couch, sighing into his hands.

The shackled figure was staring at you, and you nervously put the pot down on the coffee table.

“Y/N,” Loki began, as you heard Thor open and close your cupboards. “Ah, well, we’ve just popped by to inform you of some things.”

“Asgard is destroyed,” Thor chipped in from the kitchen. Your head snapped up.

“Wha-, really? How the hell did that happen?”

Loki nodded silently to the woman next to him. Her bright green eyes were hardly leaving yours, and you shuffled your feet under her gaze.

“It’s too long of a story to get into right now. We’ve got a bit of a situation on our hands, with a bunch of stranded Asgardians, and we need to find a place for them. In the mean time, however, we need your help with, some, ah... _babysitting.”_

Loki gestured to the woman again and you stared at him blankly. Thor came back in to join the three of you.

“We know your ties to the Avengers, you’ve got everyone on speed dial, even your place is entirely decked out thanks to Stark. You just have to find a way to keep her under control. Being banished didn’t really do it for her at first, so this was our second plan.”

Thor moved towards the prisoner and unlocked the mouthguard, pulling it away from her face. As he took it off, the first thing she did was spit in Thor’s face.

“Now, now, sister,” Loki scolded.

“What- _sister?_ You two knuckleheads have a _sister?”_ You exclaimed, eyes darting between the trio in front of you.

“Yes, it was a surprise for us too. Y/N, this is Hela. She’s-,”

“The Goddess of Death,” she cut in, staring you down again. Now that her whole face was revealed, you marvelled at the striking cheekbones and smokey eyes she had, and you felt a slight shiver run up your spine at her low and cutting voice.

“Also the worst,” Thor added.

“Frankly, since she’s _family, -_ and also impossible to kill being the Goddess of Death and all- she’s been sent here with us to get sorted out and be kept from space and anything that may prove an interest _or_ a threat to her,” Loki continued.

“She could be useful, we just don’t know for what,” Thor said. “Yet.”

“And you think that keeping her here will do that? If she’s the Goddess of _Death_ , I’ll be dead the minute you guys leave, and she’ll be out and about chasing your asses down.”

“No such thing!” Thor scoffed. He whipped out a small remote and pressed a button. Suddenly Hela was shaking, and for the first time you noticed a shock collar around her neck. She slumped back a bit as Thor stopped and he tossed the remote to you.

“Here you go, but use it wisely.”

“What! Thor you can’t be fucking serious! I’m not gonna treat her like a wild _dog.”_

_“_ Hm, well, you should,” Loki grumbled, standing up and straightening his robes. “She’s killed enough people to deserve that.”

“Give us a shout if anything goes wrong,” Thor said cheerfully, walking back towards your front door. Loki patted your shoulder on the way out, giving a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, before I forget,” he said, handing you a small key. “For the cuffs.”

And then they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you try to get to know the Goddess of Death who is now trapped in your house.

You were staring at the door where the Odinsons had just disappeared. Quite baffled at the prospect of having to _babysit a god_ , you were frozen in your spot until Hela cleared her throat, startling you. 

You looked over at her where she sat on your couch, and she met your gaze steadily. 

Coming back to reality, you slipped the key in your pocket. 

“Right,” you began. She raised an eyebrow at you and you gave an awkward wave.

“Hi, I guess. Hela, is it? Uh, welcome. Do you want some tea? I always offer some when people arrive, plus I just made some. If you don’t like tea I can make something else...”

She interrupted you, her cold voice cutting through like ice.

“You know, when my irritating brothers said they were bringing me somewhere ‘so well guarded that I couldn’t escape even if I _really really_ tried’, I didn’t think I’d be left in the charge of some lowlife peasant girl who can’t even form a proper sentence.”

She scoffed and you stilled in response. Clearly, she was an ass. She reminded you a bit of Loki when you first met him alongside the Avengers, talking about _power_ and _ruling_ and god he wouldn’t stop _talking_. What did Loki say again? That she had murdered a lot of people? Luckily, you knew how to deal with that now.

You clapped your hands three times in a quick rhythm and suddenly, lights flashed all around you.

“ _Good day, Miss Y/N,”_ a keen voice spoke through your walls. “ _Are you seeking assistance at this moment?”_

Hela’s eyes flashed around, startled by the sudden change and you smirked a bit, feeling pleased with yourself. 

“Yes, Alfred, if you wouldn’t mind, we have a new guest here. This is Hela,” you said, moving to pick up the pot of tea again and venturing to the kitchen. Hela jumped up from the couch, defensively glancing around as if an attack was to happen.

“She’s being kept here until Thor and Loki figure themselves out,” you continued lazily. You had picked up these manners from Stark, and he loved giving tips on being ‘ _not too intimidating but so nonchalant that they can’t help but wonder what you have up your sleeve.’_

“...But she doesn’t think that I’m capable of holding her here because I’m a... what did you say again?” You poked your head around the corner and looked at her. She snarled at you and a large, spiky helmet formed on her head, tucking away her dark hair. Her hands struggled against the shackles keeping her wrists tightly together and she shifted on her feet.

“...a poor lowlife peasant girl,” you continued. “Could you prove her wrong, Alfred? Nothing too scary, but you know, _just enough.”_

_“Of course, Miss.”_

The windows snapped shut, and every doorway closed with a thick barricade of metal. Lights turned up to their full brightness, blinding both of you. Cameras appeared in full view on the corners of the ceiling. The main ceiling lamp in the living room opened up and a screen came down right up against Hela’s face, who fell back on the couch. 

_A.L.F.R.E.D._ appeared in large letters on the screen and you poured yourself a cup of tea as you watched.

“ _Good day Miss Hela. I am ALFRED, an artificial intelligence assistant designed exclusively for Miss Y/N by Tony Stark and the Avengers to help keep her and others safe in her home.”_

Hela watched in a tense silence as pictures of Tony’s inventions appeared across the screen.

“ _As you can see, the Avengers have some of the highest available tech thanks to Mister Stark, and he spared no expense on Miss Y/N. I am fully capable of monitoring, locking, and adapting the physical home you sit in to fulfill any needs for Miss Y/N. Should the need arise, I can also demolish, destroy and attack any harmful creature that enters these premises against Miss Y/N’s wishes.”_

A small bot emerged from the screen’s frame and flew towards Hela, scanning her up and down and making a full body assessment of the Goddess. The scan appeared on screen and Alfred began making an analysis to store on file.

“ _If Miss Y/N wishes for you to remain here, then I will do everything I must to follow her command if she is no longer capable to do so. This includes destroying you on the spot, or simply informing the Avengers within seconds if you flee this home, including both your brothers, which will land you in a far more unsavoury prison than this.”_

_“_ Come on, Alfred, it’s hardly a prison,” you said, chuckling. 

“ _Plus, I will do the same if you so choose to harm Miss Y/N in any way, and the outcome of that once her companions find out will be even worse.”_

Alfred spoke in a light lilting accent, much like Jarvis, but he was a little more Scottish this time around, which was a lot of fun for you to hear a polite Scotsman intimidate your guests.

_“Will that be all, Miss Y/N?”_

_“_ Yes, thank you.” 

The lights returned to normal and the cameras disappeared. The doorways unsealed themselves and you sipped your tea as Hela blinked, adjusting to the lights.

“Okay. Let’s start again. Hi, I’m Y/N. Do you want some tea?”

Hela glared at you, but she managed to hiss a response through clenched teeth as her helmet disappeared, her locks falling over her eyes again.

“Yes please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming by and thank you for the lovely responses to chapter 1! They really help me write, plus they make my day. Next chapter will be longer so sit tight <3
> 
> Find me on tumblr! I hang out there a lot, come say hi if you want :3
> 
> Also, fun unnecessary tidbit: when writing Alfred, I imagined the voice of either an excited David Tennant or Ewan McGregor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> feeding and getting Hela settled in proves more difficult than you thought.

“You’ll have to eat something too,” she said. Hela watched her prepare two steaming mugs of tea, setting them on the small dining table next to the kitchen. 

She stood up from the couch, wary of her surroundings and the voice from the walls. Her skin bristled with discomfort at the prospect of being watched or regulated by something she couldn’t see.

“Do you like spaghetti? I’ve got some left overs...” a voice sounded from the kitchen. Y/N. Hela sounded her name in her own mind, trying to figure out what kind of creature suddenly possessed the Goddess’ freedom in her hands, and her chances of getting away from this meagre, mortal planet.

But she was tired.

Asgard being destroyed took a toll on her energy, as did her battles against the princes and their companions. She was weary, and without her kingdom that granted her even greater power, she knew she couldn’t escape or do anything without a plan first. 

Hela wouldn’t be able to use any extremities of her powers soon, she knew. Materializing weapons was out of the question, and she knew she should avoid battle for a while; her bones were heavy and sore, and her brain felt slightly muddled from arriving on Earth.

She stretched her fingers and examined them, trapped in the cuffs. Her left hand had become more wrinkled and aged and Hela sighed a deep breath through her nose as she flexed the digits. 

“Oh, I guess you’ll need those to eat, huh?”

Hela looked up and watched the girl as she brought over two plates of steaming food; noodle-like strands with a red paste spread over top with some kind of cheese. 

“Naturally,” she responded coolly. Y/N rolled her eyes and Hela quirked her eyebrow at the silent comeback. She fell silent as the girl pulled out the key and came to stand in front of the Goddess, meeting her gaze.

“I’ll let your hands free to eat, but-,” 

“Yes, yes, I know, instant destruction if I try anything,” Hela grumbled, suddenly aware of how hungry she was. Y/N’s lips quirked in a split second smirk before she cleared her throat and reached for Hela’s hands.

Almost on instinct, Hela took a step back. Y/N froze in response, hands outstretched. 

A beat fell between the two women and Hela felt unnaturally nervous; out of her element and completely off-kilter. Slowly, Y/N approached her, like approaching a startled deer. 

Her hands cupped Hela’s wrists, and they were warm. She unlocked the shackles, the sound unbearably loud, and Hela felt relief in her hands. 

Y/N pulled away sooner than expected, and Hela felt the loss instantly. She frowned at herself and her own reaction, mentally questioning what her weariness was doing to her emotional responses.

The two of them shuffled into their seats, opposite each other at the table. Though Y/N seemed at ease, Hela noted her own plate had only a fork to eat, no knives, and the remote to the damned shock collar around her neck sat right next to Y/N’s resting hand on the table. 

* * *

As soon as Hela tried the first bite, she dug in eagerly. You were watching her, amused at her appetite. Though you were eating heftily too after all the events that happened today, you were very on edge with the risks you were taking.

Hela wasn’t looking at you, clearly invested in the food and the tea was downed instantly. You knew it was still boiling hot, and you were surprised that she didn’t seem fazed by it at all.

But then again, this was the eldest sibling of the Asgard royals, so she was probably capable of a lot more than you could imagine. It both interested and terrified you simultaneously.

The plate was empty before you even reached half of your meal, and you were smiling at the similarities; Thor’s sister indeed.

“Do you want more?”

Hela met your gaze, and you felt that familiar shiver run through you. You didn’t know if she was judging you, planning to murder you or simply examining you.

“Yes please.”

The docile tone in her voice made you think you had imagined what she said and it took you a second to process what she said. You mentally slapped yourself at the fact that you froze every time she spoke or looked at you, but having an intimidating Asgardian God in your house wasn’t exactly an every day thing. 

You concluded from the look in her eyes that she really was just hungry, and not plotting any great escape _yet._ So you prepped another plate, and another. 

And another.

Your leftovers were gone, and you suddenly realized that keeping Hela fed might be a harder task than keeping her inside. Luckily, she didn’t seem to want any more yet. 

You chewed your lip as you picked up the shackles, preparing to cuff her again and her eyes followed your movements. You were reminded of those many stories of rescued dogs or cats who seemed terrified of human behaviour at first contact. 

Police car sirens sounded from the streets outside. Completely regular for you, but not for Hela. She jumped up, grabbing the fork as her first weapon of choice. After your initial fearful response to her rapid movements settled, you approached Hela slowly. She was staring out the window, and you didn't know what to make of her expression. She seemed... _scared?_

“Hela.. have you ever been to Earth before?” you asked out of the blue. Her eyes snapped to yours and her brows furrowed, fork still gripped tightly, her knuckles white. 

“I have not,” she confessed.

“So I guess a lot of this is surprising to you, right?”

She remained silent. Having conversations with her would be tough, you concluded.

“Well, if something is surprising to you, let me know, okay? I promise nothing is going to hurt you here. I’m not a torturer,” you said, grasping her cold hand with your own to slowly pry the fork out of her hand. 

“What are you saying?” she asked, eyes darting between your hands and the shackles on the table. You realized you left the shock collar remote on the table next to your plate, but you couldn’t turn back now. 

“I’m saying you’re _safe_ here, Hela. It’s not a torture chamber, and I don’t consider you a prisoner. You’re just a houseguest with a few rules.”

You tried to smile at her, trying to help her calm down. You succeeded in taking the fork from her and her shoulders relaxed slightly, nodding at your words. 

An accomplishment in your books.

You turned to clean the table, grabbing the remote and putting it back in your pocket, determined not to let it leave your side.

When you were done putting the dishes away you saw Hela still staring out the window. You realized, from Thor and Loki’s brief explanation, that she wasn’t acting weird for no apparent reason. Whatever happened in Asgard was haunting her. You’d seen those expressions before, like Tony after he fell from space, or Nat every time she had to think about her upbringing. 

In that moment you looked at her like she was broken, and damaged in a way. Sympathy flooded your heart for a brief moment and you wanted to know everything about her. But that wasn’t the point, and that wasn’t your purpose right now. You were meant to keep her hostage, technically, but you wouldn’t be cruel.

Wary, but never cruel.

“Do you wanna use the washroom before I put the cuffs back on?” you asked, trying to sound as normal as possible. “Here, come with me, I’ll give you a tour.”

You led Hela around the house, showing her the washroom she could use, and you decided that the small extra guest room you had would be where she could stay. You didn’t want to have to shackle her to the table or your own bed (well, at least not for any purposes related to keeping her under lock and key) so the bed in the extra room would have to do. 

It was a room for any unexpected guests; be it Avengers or Gods, and was fitting given the circumstances. 

Hela disappeared into the washroom and after checking that she wasn’t trying to escape through your plumbing, you set up the room for her. You removed all personal items and put them back in your own room, except for a few pictures on the walls that you wanted to keep up there. It wasn’t a prison cell, after all.

Hela appeared in the doorway, startling you, but she was only standing and staring at you again. You shuffled a bit, fiddling to feel the remote in your pocket. 

“I, uh, I think I’ll need to chain you to the bed,” you mumbled awkwardly. 

Something flashed through Hela’s eyes, and you blushed lightly, but all she did was nod.

“Of course.”

“Do you have anything else to sleep in? I can’t imagine you wanting to sleep in your armour.”

She quirked an eyebrow at you and moved to stand on the other side of the bed. You noted the way she walked; cat-like and calculated. 

Her armour shimmered away and you squeaked at the sudden sight of the Goddess naked in front of you.

“Jesus- Oh my god!” You snapped your eyes shut. “What the hell are you doing?”

Your cheeks were flushing red, and your hands flew up to cover your face, holding the cuffs and the key in both as you took a deep breath.

“What do you mean?” Hela sounded _genuinely_ confused and you wondered how little Thor and Loki had really told her about Earth. “This is how I sleep.”

“O-oh, really? Nude? Well, uh, okay then,” you stuttered. _Fucking Asgardians,_ you thought. “Could you at least give me a warning next time? People don’t tend to just, _magically make their clothes disappear_ around here.”

“...Would you prefer it if I were clothed?”

You were blushing so hard, your cheeks hot with jittery embarrassment. You couldn’t imagine having to get Hela to bed and seeing her in the mornings like this, and you turned away from her, thinking.

“Just- give me a second, okay?”

You hurried to your own room, trying to fan your face as you dug through your old clothes until you found an oversized t-shirt and old black shorts that you deemed close enough to Hela’s size. 

You came back into the guest room, looking a little more dignified. Hela was wearing her armour again and you almost felt bad for freaking out so much, but still passed her the clothes with a slightly trembling hand. 

“Just, uh, something comfy to wear if you wanted to. Helps you blend in as well,” you muttered, waving your hands haphazardly. 

Hela examined the clothing before turning around, and you looked at her quizzically before realizing she was changing into the set. Her armour disappeared again, and you found your eyes trailing over strong back muscles, down a prominent spine, the curve of her hip, and further down-,

She had donned the shirt and you blushed furiously again, angry at yourself for getting distracted. When she turned she wordlessly looked down at the bed and up at you.

“Right, uh, get comfortable,” you said. “Not like- I didn’t mean- _goddamnit.”_

Hela smirked, eyes twinkling, but you didn’t notice as you were looking at your hands. She got under the covers and offered up her wrists.

“It’s okay, I’ll just do one. I trust you,” you said in a light tone, but hurriedly. Did you really? You had no idea at this point, but you really wanted to get out of the room, because your face still felt hot. 

You shackled one of her wrists to the metal headboard. 

“Not too tight?” you asked nervously. She shook her head and you stepped back, fiddling with your hands.

“Right, okay, uh, goodnight then? God, this must’ve been such a weird day for you, I guess. Sorry if this wasn’t how you expected things to turn out.”

Hela stayed quiet again as she watched you wring your hands.

“I’ll come get you around 8ish in the morning, probably,” you said, glancing at the clock on the wall. The time had passed surprisingly fast and you eyes were getting heavy. 

“And if you need anything in the night, you’re allowed to call onto Alfred. He’ll wake me no problem, okay?”

No response. You sighed, feeling a little defeated after seemingly having gotten through to her after dinner. You stopped in the doorway to turn out the light, and you whispered a final and awkward ‘goodnight, then...’ before shutting the door. 

You sighed and locked it behind you, before pressing your back against the wall and sinking to the floor, groaning at everything that had just occurred and the way your body had responded to it. 

“Alfred, put triple security measures on Hela’s room. She might call on you if she needs me during the night,” you forced yourself up off the floor and shuffled to your own room, ready to collapse in bed. 

“ _Of course, Miss. Have a good night.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming and thank you for the lovely replies! Hope you're enjoying it so far, I've got loads of ideas for these two :3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> grocery shopping with Hela.

You’d barely gotten any sleep in the night. Your dreams kept getting disturbed by a vision of Hela hovering over your bed, looking ready to kill you and flee your home. Other times, your dreams wandered to a different reason that Hela would be standing by your bed, and neither of those visions were helping you sleep.

You were awake long before your alarm was supposed to go off, so you grumbled and got up anyways, knowing it was pointless to stay in bed. It was just a little past 7:30 as you shuffled to the kitchen in your pj’s to put on some coffee. 

You grabbed an apple, not too hungry for anything else. What did Gods eat? Would Hela appreciate toast? Or yogurt? 

You opened some of the blinds to let light filter into your living room and turned on the radio to let a bit of music liven up the place. 

When the clock neared 8 you forced your feet to get to Hela’s door. Your stomach was turning as you opened it a crack and tried to peer inside. 

Much to your surprise, nothing looked amiss except for Hela’s hair which was mussed and tangled on her face and the pillows. 

You reached out tentatively to wake her as she seemed deep in her slumber. Brushing back her hair, her face cool to your touch, you planned to call out her name when her non-shackled hand slapped yours out of the way and gripped your throat in a choke hold.

Her eyes snapped open and you gasped in surprise, trying to pry her fingers away. 

She blinked slowly, coming to, before realizing who you were. There were large, dark circles under her eyes and she let you go as quickly as she had grabbed you.

You stumbled back, rubbing your neck while trying to gasp for air. 

“Jesus _Christ,_ Hela,” you rasped. 

“My apologies.”

“Really? That’s it?” you stomped over to the doorway and flicked the light switch. Hela winced in pain at the sudden bright light filling the room. 

“Look, you need to learn to _trust me,_ okay? I’m trying to trust you too, but that’s kinda difficult when you try to use my forks as weapons and choke me to death first thing in the morning,” you huffed. 

Nonetheless, you made your way to her bed and undid the cuffs, letting her arm free. 

“Now get your ass out of bed and tell me what you want for fucking breakfast,” you snapped, fed up with her stingy behaviour before stomping out of the room.

You yanked open your fridge to see what else you had, sorely disappointed at the sight of a few empty containers and half full carton of milk. Knowing you needed groceries, you tried calling up Thor to see if he’d pick something up.

No answer. Weird.

You tried dialing Tony, and again, no answer. You chewed the inside of your cheek, finally cursing under your breath and deciding you’d have to go out yourself. 

You made yourself a mug of coffee and slid one to Hela across the counter as she came from the guest room, rubbing at her eyes. It was endearing, in a way.

“What is this?” she sniffed the mug as steam wafted up from the coffee.

“It’s coffee, helps you wake up in the morning,” you explained.

In an instant, the mug was empty, and Hela nodded in approval at the taste. 

“Anything to eat?” she asked. 

“Nope, I’ll have to go out and get food. You’ve eaten basically everything already.”

She glanced at you apologetically and your heart fluttered a bit.

“But no matter, that way you’ll get to see the outside world here.”

“What?”

“Uh, you’re coming with me, dummy. I’m not leaving you alone unsupervised.”

“I’m not a pet in need of constant care,” she bristled, slightly offended.

“Hm, yeah but that’s not your decision to make. I’ll give you some clothes and then we'll head out.”

“Why not have a servant bring things you may need?” she inquired. You stared at her for a second, blinking slowly.

“Right... uh, we don’t do that here. I don’t have servants, I don’t _want_ servants, and I’m perfectly capable of doing my own groceries.”

She merely shrugged, and it hit you how little she really knew about Earth. 

“It’ll be good for you to get out,” you say as you head to your bedroom to grab clothes for her. “You’ll get to see the outside world properly. But no magic or threats against civilians, okay?”

You heard her grumbling from the kitchen, and you smirked. 

* * *

“You’ll like tacos, I’m sure,” you quipped to Hela as you stood in the produce isle of your local supermarket. A shopping cart was slowly filling up with snacks and drinks that Hela kept finding from different parts of the store and asking about. 

It was like watching a child, every time she ran off you had to tell her to watch out for strangers, don’t interrupt and don’t push people out of the way. You weren’t going to buy everything she brought over, but her innocent amusement at all the strange packages and items you could buy were beyond interesting to her. 

Her collar had a chip in place so you could track her in case she went too far, and the remote control was sitting in your purse, which you were quick to remind her about. 

This time she came up to you with a package from the dairy isle; green tea ice cream. You quirked an eyebrow.

“You want that?”

She nodded. 

“Why?”

She cast her eyes down for a second, seemingly shy. “I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

You eventually caved and allowed it. It was an odd flavour that wasn’t usually people’s favourites, but you had a feeling she’d eat it anyways.

As you turned the cart to the checkout line, she softly mumbled behind you, “plus, it’s green.”

You snickered under your breath.

* * *

You took her to the nearest McDonalds for a quick snack, introducing her to fries and burgers. The cashiers and customers both there and at the supermarket couldn’t help but look at her; a towering goth-like woman who seemed unamused by everyone around her. You, however, knew that she was in fact _incredibly_ interested in Earth and its people. 

The shirt you lended to her was a little too tight for her across the chest, though you didn’t mind _at all._ You had an appreciative look on your face as she had stepped out in that shirt, leggings and some old running shoes, which Hela pretended not to notice. 

You gave her an M&M McFlurry for the way home which she eagerly enjoyed, munching away on the small chocolates. You smiled, again, and realized you actually enjoyed her company even though you were meant to be watchful.

Hela began asking you questions about everything around you; shops, fashion, cars, roads. You tried to answer to the best of your ability but knew you were by no means an expert on anything. Eventually you began telling her more about your own life and your own experiences in hopes to explain Earth to her better. 

“Nowadays I’m mostly on my own,” you continued. “Things changed a lot after aliens came to New York, and I got to know the Avengers, and your brothers. It’s been kinda wild, but right now it seems a lot calmer than it used to be -which is odd- so I’m just working here and there, catching up with people, that sort of stuff.”

“Your world is very peculiar compared to Asgard,” Hela chipped in. 

“Oh yeah? We’d say the same about your world, y’know. Gods of Thunder or Death aren’t very common around here,” you teased. “You guys are like, legends.”

“Legends, you say?”

You glanced over at Hela to see her smirking at you, making you blush and look away. 

“Shut up.”

Hela kept grinning but moved her eyes off of you to watch the roads. A comfortable silence followed for a little while before she spoke up.

“I must apologize again,” she said softly. “I do feel... _bad_ for what happened this morning.”

“Oh... you mean when you almost choked me to death?”

“I’m not used to... _companionship,”_ she continued slowly. “You must understand that even before my father betrayed me and banished me to Hel, I was already alone most of the time. Our people either feared me or admired me from a distance.”

“This all must’ve been quite a shock for you, I know,” you responded. “I mean, if you want me to just lock you up and only serve you bread and water I can... but I don’t want to.”

“Why not? That was essentially the task my brothers gave you,” Hela murmured, almost cowering at what you two were talking about. 

“Yeah, but I’m also kinda alone. Not a lot of people in my life right now, as you can see. I don’t party a lot, and I turn a lot of invitations down. It’s just easier but it gets lonely,” you shift awkwardly, trying to keep your tone casual. “It might be selfish but having you around makes me feel a little less pathetic, I guess.”

Hela doesn’t say anything, so you keep going, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Plus, you’re a fucking _God._ That shit is impressive, and intriguing,” you huff with laughter. “So I don’t mind. At all.”

If you’d turned to look at Hela, you would have seen the glimmer in her eyes and the smile on her lips, but instead you kept your head turned away as you travel to your home again in silence.

* * *

“No! _No._ Don’t touch the buttons, Hela. You’re gonna fuck up my settings!” you clambered across the couch to grab the remote from her as she examines it. You were both in pj’s, watching Netflix. Or at least trying to.

Hela was eating green tea ice cream straight out of the tub and you couldn’t be bothered to stop her. She’d allowed you to braid her hair, which hung in one thick plait down her back.

“But what does it do?” she asked, finally giving in and handing it over.

“It lets me control the TV. Now, what do you wanna watch?”

You started scrolling through the recommended section, trying to see what would be suitable to show Hela. 

Hela, of course, had no opinion because she had no idea what movies or shows were. Though Asgard definitely had some advantages in magic or whatever, you had to admit it sounded quite boring without things like television or supermarkets.

You settled on _The Lion King._ A children’s classic, with catchy tunes. Hela was quiet as she watched, only asking a few questions at the beginning about the animals and the music. 

When Mufasa fell, you felt her tense beside you. After a beat, you slowly moved towards her with your blanket, draping it over her bare knees.

“It’s okay, it’s just a movie,” you said quietly, eyes twinkling. “It’s not real.”

Nonetheless, she pressed closer to you, her cool skin making your neck flush at the sensation. 

When the ending credits rolled, neither of you had moved. The ice cream was half-full, abandoned sometime in the middle of the film. Hela’s head was propped up on your shoulder and her legs were tucked in under her, covered by your shared blanket. 

“Can we watch another?” she asked, sounding small. Your heart swelled with a strange feeling and without realizing it, your arm came up behind her to hug her shoulders and pull closer to you.

Her limbs relaxed and she sighed softly, dark hair tousled and messy. You turned on _101 Dalmatians._ Not a word was shared between the two of you, and though you knew there were plenty of references that she probably couldn’t understand in the films, she was content just watching the animations. 

Half way through, her breathing evened out and her face pressed further into your shoulder as she fell asleep. You sucked in a surprised breath once you realized that she’d dozed off, but you couldn’t bear to wake her, both for fear of what happened that morning, but also because you felt very warm inside at the feeling of her so close to you.

She wasn’t that scary after all, you decided. You continued watching the movie yourself before you too fell asleep, with Asgard’s most terrifying enemy curled up against your side like a cat.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Hela become closer than ever.

Hela awoke the next day, blinking at cracks of sunlight coming through the windows. Trying to regain some sense of where she was, she flexed her wrist on impulse and realized she wasn’t wearing the cuffs. You’d both forgotten all about them the night before. Whether on purpose or not, somehow you had trusted her. 

When a soft sigh sounded from next to her, Hela looked to find you still dozing. She’d been pressed up against you all night and her chest filled with a warm, unfamiliar feeling.

Hela launched from the couch, fear and hostility replacing the warmth. She couldn’t let herself get attached to you, not like this. Her head swam from standing up too quickly and she took a moment to breath, shaking unexpectedly. 

You kept sleeping, and in Hela’s absence you moved your face against the pillow she’d been using, cheeks rosy from sleep. 

Hands twitching, Hela turned and hurried to the kitchen, trying to ignore the bubbly emotions welling in her chest that seemed so unlike her. 

The kitchen ceiling light flickered on as she came in and the screen on the fridge lit up with the weather forecast.

“ _Goodmorning Miss Hela,”_ Alfred spoke politely. 

“Shh,” Hela scolded, as if chastising a child. “Y/N is still sleeping.”

It was strange for her, this _independent_ and _domestic_ lifestyle you had, which was new territory for her. You had to make your own meals, prep for the day yourself, with no servants or footmen. For Hela, who was used to conquering and ordering people around, it was an exhilarating rush to have all that opportunity for herself. 

And that’s how you ended up waking to the sounds of pans clattering and a distinct smell of something burning. Alfred had opened the windows to let out the smoke, but there was no cause of worry yet.

Hela stood in the kitchen, coughing, and waving a dishtowel to get rid of some the white haze that had clouded your home. A pan with burnt sausages stood on your furnace and several broken eggs lay discarded on the counter. 

You blinked in surprise and Hela blushed when she noticed you standing there, turning away quickly so you didn’t see her reddening face.

“Uh, good morning?” you asked, sheepishly.

“Hmph,” she replied, trying to seem nonchalant. She gripped the pan to set it aside and hissed as she burnt herself. It clattered on the stove and you rushed to turn on the cold tap water.

“Oh gosh. Come here, you,” you sighed, a smirk pulling at the corner of your mouth at the Goddess’ clumsiness. You grabbed her wrist and led her to the sinks without thinking. There was resistance in Hela’s arm at first, trying to yank away from you, but you were persistent. As soon as her palm hit the cold water her body slumped against yours with a sigh of relief.

“What were you doing, dummy? Making breakfast?” you chuckled. Her head nodded to the fridge where she’d pulled up a simple eggs and sausage breakfast recipe on the screen. 

You shook your head, focusing on the burn on her hand. “Oh, Hela. Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped.”

“Your cursed robotic butler was _supposed_ to help me,” Hela snapped. 

“Is that true, Alfred?” you asked.

“ _Miss Hela insisted she could work the stove on her own, Miss Y/N. I was merely observing.”_

_“_ Oh dear,” you said, but smiled at Hela. Her green eyes met yours and a smile of her own appeared on her face. It nearly made you fall over. 

“Alfred, turn off the stove. Can you clean up the eggs as well, please? And grab the first aid kit for me.”

A small bot jumped out of a drawer and got to work, scrubbing at the sticky yolks that littered your counter, another scurrying to the bathroom to fetch the kit.

“They are hard to crack,” Hela mumbled defensively. You turned off the tap and grabbed soothing ointment for burns from the kit.

“What, eggs? At first, I guess so. I can teach you, if you like. Here, get up on the counter.” You ushered Hela to hop onto the clean kitchen counter so you had a better angle of her hand.

“Doesn’t look _too_ bad. Does it hurt a lot?”

“A bit.”

You wrapped her hand diligently, making sure the bandage wasn’t too tight. 

“You’ve done this before,” Hela observed.

“What, wrapping wounds? Oh, yeah. Whenever any superhero folk come in here they’re bound to have some kind scrape they didn’t bother to take care of. Natasha had a really ugly gash on her thigh once that she didn’t even feel at first.”

“Natasha? Who is she?”

“A friend of mine. Deadly assassin and all that,” you remarked. Looking up, there was a faint line of worry on Hela’s forehead.

“What?”

Hela looked up at you. “Is she your... partner?”

“Partner?” you scoffed, finishing the wrapping. “What, like my girlfriend? No. They’re all far too busy or mopey for that,” you giggled. 

Something brightened in Hela’s gaze at your response, “Oh.”

“If you were wondering, there’s no one in my life like that,” you said, turning around to move the pans from the stove and grab fresh eggs from the fridge. 

“Why not?” 

You turned to find Hela facing you directly, standing close to you. There was something unreadable in her eyes

“Uh, I don’t know,” you stammered. “I just- couldn’t be bothered I guess. No one’s really interested in me or my life. I keep to myself.”

“... I find that hard to believe.”

Hela spoke low, soft. Your insides turned into jelly as you looked at her, your mind wandering to how the two of you had cuddled together all night. You’d been disappointed to find her gone when you awoke, but after the initial fear of finding out if she’d ran away you were simply amused to see her trying to cook.

She was standing so close now, you could _smell_ her. It was a sharp, crisp scent -dulled by her time on Earth no doubt- but it smelled like space and the cool night air of the outside world. Your head spun a bit.

“Here, let me show you how I make eggs,” you managed to say weakly, walking to the stove. 

Though neither of you exchanged another word that morning other than instructions on breakfast, Hela’s thigh pressed soothingly against yours while she stood next to you, and you never moved away.

* * *

Comfortable days passed between the two of you. Hela grew used to being with you in your house as well as your bed. The first night since your movie night, you were back in your own bed, ready to sleep until a soft knock came on your door.

“ _It’s Miss Hela wishing to enter your room, Miss Y/N,”_ Alfred said. You smiled and rolled your eyes, cause _who else could it be?_

_“_ Let her in.”

Hela had shuffled into your room, standing half-hidden in the shadows, silent. You lifted up the covers for her and she came to your side, stealthy and quiet like a cat, as if you’d send her away if she said anything. 

“Want me to take that off for you?” you whispered in the dark, a finger tracing along the shock collar still bound around her neck. Surprisingly, she shook her head.

“I do not trust myself yet,” she replied curtly. You barely understood what she meant but accepted it anyways. Instead, you let your hand drop to her waist and pulled her closer, her head automatically dipping to find the crook of your neck and falling asleep like that.

Now, you couldn’t imagine _not_ sleeping alongside her. She was always chilly to the touch, but in a soothing way. Nothing ever happened between the two of you, though you desperately wanted her hands on you some nights. 

Thus, the two of you danced around each other like orbiting planets. Small touches, jokes and gestures were your way of communicating. 

Hela went with you everywhere. If you ran into someone you knew, Hela became your ‘new goth girlfriend’ that you had to introduce who was really into chokers. You never said anything about it afterwards, but Hela would smirk at the way you blushed while you talked.

Until one night, Hela was restless. Having gained confidence in your space and home, she was no longer afraid of the little things so this surprised you.

She tried to fall asleep at your side again but couldn’t rest, even when your hand pressed against her back and drew soothing patterns. 

You turned on a softer, dimmer light and made her turn over to face you, her green eyes speckled with worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean? I clearly can’t sleep,” she retorted sarcastically. You huffed.

“Well obviously. I want to know _why,_ you asshole,” you replied with no hesitation. Her mouth closed at that.

“Something isn’t right,” she whispered, her words cutting the silence around you. “I feel.. unhinged. The world is- I don’t know.”

You could barely form the words to reply to her, “... are we in danger?”

You had tried call after call to get to Thor or someone from the team with no response. You figured they were busy with things, but that also usually meant something was threatening them, or Earth. 

“No, not immediately,” Hela said, staring up at the ceiling like it held the answers to everything. “But I cannot guarantee that we will be safe.”

You sighed and leaned into your hand propped up on the bed. “Well, that’s always the case on Earth I guess. Peace is never guaranteed around here nowadays.”

Hela looked at you questioningly. You shrugged, “With Earth having contact and technology beyond our world, we’re always a target, y’know?”

“But that doesn’t matter,” you continued. “We can stay here, Alfred will keep us safe and we can just hang out inside until things pass over, if they were to happen in the first place.”

“What if they came for me?” Hela bit out nervously, her voice a ragged whisper.

“No one knows you’re here, Hela. No one but me, Thor and Loki. You’re safe, remember? I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

Hela looked at you then with wide eyes and you realized how much you meant those words. You wanted Hela here, with you, forever. 

It didn’t matter how much evil she’d done, she wasn’t cruel. She had become your steadfast friend and houseguest (with a few rules) who had taken the time to learn about you, your world, your culture, trying to fit in and _please_ you with her obedience. Even though she was a powerful Goddess from outer space who probably could have destroyed you at any given moment. 

She had begun asking for help on how things worked; dishes, cooking, even _clothing._ Yet you knew she reserved those things for you only, as she never was open with the people you ran into in public, nor did she ever turn to her brothers like that, she admitted. 

In that moment you made a choice, looking at Hela, lying on the bed and looking at you like you were her whole world. You rushed forward, closing the gap between the two of you, and kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teehee! Smut and angst comin' up next ;) can anyone guess what's got Hela feeling so off??   
> Thanks for stopping by lovelies. The updates are coming, I promise! Slowly, but surely <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions finally break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: s m u t

Time stood still for a moment. You squeezed your eyes shut, lips pressed against Hela’s and your arms trembling as you hovered over her. There was no response from the Goddess beneath you for a moment, and you were sure she would kill you this time.

Then, a hand wandered up your neck and cupped the back of your head, holding you even closer as her wonderful and delicious lips opened up for you.

You kissed her more firmly this time, daring to let a tongue swipe against her full lower lip and the cunning Goddess breathed a sigh of pleasure. As you continued with your exploration, you bit down on her lip following another swipe of your tongue, and her grip hardened, followed by a hitched breath that made your insides melt.

She pulled away, watching you closely, her hand raking through your hair.

“Y/N..” she breathed, her voice impossibly lower. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” you muttered, pressing your forehead against hers. “I think I’ve been sure since the minute you walked into my living room.”

“But I’m.. you’re supposed to be _guarding_ me,” she responded, a twinkle in her eyes as your own darted down to her full mouth as she spoke.

“Mhm, and I am. What better place to _guard you_ than from my own bed?”

She grinned, grabbing your waist and suddenly you were on your back, Hela hovering over you this time. 

“That might prove a little difficult, given that I’m _clearly_ in control,” she murmured, a hand trailing seductively to the hem of your shirt and slipping up underneath. You let her pull it up and over your head. You pushed away any insecure thoughts about your body as you laid there, arms above your head with Hela’s eyes roving over you, her jaw dropping just a little.

“Now who’s in charge?” you giggled at her reaction, gleefully happy at her lust-filled gaze. You pressed your hips up against hers and made to pull off her shirt as well but she grasped your wrists and pinned you down.

“Not so fast, little miss,” she said in a hushed tone. “You’ve already seen _me._ Now let me see you.”

Your heart pounded as she glanced down your body, noting every curve, every spot. You had no idea if Hela had been with women before, but you were convinced that even if she hadn’t, she was clever enough to make it seem like she’d done it loads of times before. 

Her head dipped down and a slick tongue pressed against your right nipple and you cried out, back arching at the sudden sensation. You felt her smirk against your skin. 

A thigh came up between your legs, and you immediately started rocking your hips against the firm flesh of her toned leg. 

“So _eager,”_ Hela whispered against your breast, her hands coming down to knead at your chest. 

Her touch was cold against your skin but also soft and gentle at the same time. The contrast drove you crazy, and you bit down on your hand as her lips trailed along your breasts and nipples, down to your belly button and staying there for a moment.

You had assumed Hela would be an unforgiving, ferocious lover. And part of you still believed that was _definitely_ true, but here she was, bathing you in kisses and strokes, and your heart swelled just briefly.

“I could be the roughest of partners when it comes to bed play,” she said, as if reading your thoughts, “but not the first time. Never the first time. And certainly not with someone like you.”

She had come up to look you in the eyes again, and you wanted to ask her what she meant, but deft fingers pulled your shorts and underwear off in a swift motion, and you quickly forgot about anything else. 

As she continued to press kisses against your lips, cheeks, neck, and her fingers pulled at your nipples, and dug into your thighs, you wanted desperately to see her again. You’d only really gotten a quick look when she had shimmered her armour away, and this time you wanted a nice, full view.

You tugged at her shirt as she did with you, and she obediently let you pull it off. It fell down to the floor, somewhere. 

Her breasts were larger than you’d assumed at first, a lovely curve and swell fitting the muscular yet slender figure she had. You cupped the both of them gingerly, and she gasped.

You stilled, wondering if your touch was going to be too much for her, but she didn’t push you away. You trailed fingers over every patch of skin along her breasts and upper stomach and she seemed to melt in your hands. 

“You’re so warm,” she whispered. So she felt the contrast too.

“And you’re cold,” you muttered, fingers rubbing gently over her nipples that hardened instantly. 

Then, you reached up, fingers cupping her neck still wearing the shock collar. In a brief moment, you paused, and she opened her eyes to look at you watching as you thought. You let go and shimmied to the side of the bed, grabbing the remote control for the collar and pressing a button that quickly released the thing from its tight lock. 

Instant relief surged through Hela as your gentle hands pulled the thing off of her neck. She reached up to rub at the skin but you stopped her. 

“No,” you whispered, and you sat up to come close against her. The skin on her neck was a little paler than the rest, and slightly reddened from the pressure of the choker that had been in place for so long now. A slight stab of guilt filled you at the sight, but Hela’s hips began rocking impatiently and you focused at the task at hand.

Your hands reached to cup her ass and pull her closer against you, your centres rubbing against each others thighs and you began sucking and licking the abused skin. Her high-pitched whine of delight at the feeling nearly pushed you over the edge. 

She was _drenched._ You could feel it through her shorts and the way her nails dug in your shoulders as she rocked in your lap. Your hands slid inside the shorts and rubbed along her ass, enjoying the smooth skin. 

You yourself were no better, you had to fight every instinct not to rock against Hela and cum instantly. You continued to kiss and soothe her neck with your tongue and lips, until Hela seemed to be trembling, and her hands flew to your hair to pull you back with a delightful tug. 

“You think I’d give control up so easily?” she hissed, and you smirked. Her mouth attacked yours, desperate and passionate this time, and you moaned into it, pulling her as close as you could.

“Lie down,” she said, pulling away with swollen lips. You obeyed and watched while she stood on her knees on the bed, towering above you, and cheekily sliding the shorts down her legs, your mouth watering at the sight of her.

She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder and grinned mischievously. “Like what you see?”

You could only nod.

“Good,” she said, “because we’re nowhere near finished.”

She pulled your legs apart with strong hands; hell, she could probably force you into any position with the strength she carried. She lifted one of your legs slightly and hooked one of her own around your waist, and you held your breath as you could feel her almost pressed up against you, slick with arousal and the lovely smell of her sex reaching your nose, making your head drowsy with need.

Her nose rubbed against yours and her mouth breathed a sentence over yours.

“If you truly want this-,” she whispered.

“I do.”

“Things will not be the same when we finish,” she murmured. 

“I know,” you said, running a hand up her side comfortingly. “I don’t _want_ it to be the same, Hela. I want this. You. Make me yours.”

A look of possessiveness came over Hela’s face and she breathed in deeply, settling her cunt against yours, making you groan at the feeling of her against you. You couldn’t tell where you ended and she began.

And when she started rocking, you could feel it deep inside you, as if she’d opened up your soul and buried herself deep. God, things would _really_ never be the same again for you now.

Hela fucked you slowly, rubbing against you and making you feel every inch of her. You breathed out words of incoherent pleading and Hela kissed you over and over and over again. 

“Ah, _God,”_ you nearly sobbed at the feeling of the achingly slow buildup to a thundering orgasm. “Please, Hela. Fuck me, I need _more_.”

Hela stilled for a moment and you opened your eyes as they’d been squeezed shut. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the dark, feline and sharp, and your breath picked up when suddenly her full body slammed against yours, hands pinning yours against the pillows once more, and her teeth biting harshly along your collarbone.

Her pace became quick and short, sending sharp thrusts of pleasure up your spine, and you screamed when you came, muffled by Hela’s hair. The pleasure shook throughout your whole body, down to your toes, making your whole body and mind feel hazy and numb.

Hela came soon after, your cries of pleasure and needy thrusts pushing her over the edge. You felt her spasm against your body, both your inner thighs slick with each other’s arousal, her usually contained voice letting out broken gasps and cries against your neck. Her hands trembled and you managed to wring your arms loose from her grasp to wrap around her shaking body, covered in a cool sweat. 

Her legs gave out and she slumped against your form, both of you breathing heavily. Your body still tingled, you’d _never_ cum like that during sex. It had felt otherworldly, something beyond human understanding that you couldn’t quite comprehend but enjoyed immensely. 

Hela’s soft kisses and licks upon your neck and cheek brought you back to reality. With her hands on your waist, she pushed herself up enough to make eye contact with you and you smiled a sleepy, satisfied smile.

"I could do that forever,” you muttered. 

“Careful what you wish for,” she responded, pinching your side playfully. You giggled and kissed her again, breathless and needy.

She rolled onto her side to give you some room to breathe but you turned your body to face her anyways and draped a lazy arm around her middle to keep her close to you. 

Hela watched your eyes droop in a content expression, hands stilling as you nearly fell asleep and her breath caught in her throat.

“Y/N.. I..”

“Hm?” you muttered, sleepily. “What is it?”

Hela paused for a moment, and then the tension left her body, instead coming closer towards you and dipping her head to find the crook of your neck like she always does.

“It’s of no matter,” she said softly against your skin. “We should sleep.”

You hummed in agreement, holding her tightly as you slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for all the amazing responses to Babysitter so far, they make me so freakin happy!! here's some smut! but things aren't done yet; a bit of angst coming up soon ;)
> 
> and thank u for all the kudos and comments and hits! I love you all!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> angst!! I'm sorry

A cool hand was stroking along your hairline and you shifted at the touch, yawning as you woke up. Minty breath wafted towards you as Hela kissed your cheek. 

Your eyes opened to meet her glimmering gaze. Sheets tangled around your legs, you were both just as naked as the night before, and you snuggled closer to her.

“You’re still here,” you mumbled.

“You really think I’d run off after last night?” she whispered, shuffling to kiss your lips, to which you let out a hum of delight. “I think it’s quite the opposite. You may never get rid of me now.”

“Good,” you said in return, straddling her and pushing the sheets off of the both of you. 

A chime sounded and Alfred piped up from the living room, “ _Incoming call from Tony Stark, Miss Y/N.”_

_“_ Put him to voicemail,” you said, kissing down Hela’s pale neck and chest. “I’m busy.”

Two strong hands raked through your hair as you continued your way down.

“ _Y/N,”_ Hela breathed, chest rising. Her dark hair was cascading on the pillows. You gripped her hips and bit into the strong flesh of her thighs. Her legs opened wider and she squirmed on the bed. 

She pulled your hair harder, “don’t tease,” she commanded, voice dripping with arousal. 

You pulled back a moment and watched her appearance change from defiant to desperate, hands clawing at you for support.

“My house, my rules,” you smirked. “Stay down. No touching. Understood?”

Hela stared at you, incredulity written all over her face. You dipped a suggestive finger between her thighs and then she relented, relaxing into the sheets as you settled between her, legs, triumph and arousal surging through you.

* * *

When you both awoke again later, in a sweaty heap on the bed, you eventually got her up on her feet and dressed, though it took far too long with multiple distractions along the way.

“Come along,” you pulled her to the living room. Suddenly your home seemed far too small to contain your feelings. You wanted to jump and scream with happiness,

Hela could not remember the last time she had smiled so much. Perhaps because she felt very sexually satisfied for the first time in centuries, but watching you bounce from room to room with stars in your eyes made her question if it was something more than that.

That filled her with both delight, and dread.

“Here, sit,” you ordered her, “what do you wanna eat?”

“Is that a trick question?” Hela asked silkily. When you looked over at her, green eyes roved suggestively over your body with a raised eyebrow. You turned red and walked towards the fridge, muttering something about obscene Asgardians.

The screen on the fridge lit up, stating ‘ _5 missed calls from Tony S.’_

You frowned a little, staring at the fridge until two hands gripped your waist from behind.

“Y/N,” Hela murmured. You bit your lip as she turned you around in her grip, the notifications forgotten for a moment.

“Darling,” she whispered, “we should talk.”

“Already? Isn’t that something for like, the third date?” you giggled. 

“Our circumstances are not ideal, you know that,” she continued, serious now. “I’m a fugitive in the eyes of your people.”

“Hardly. House guest, remember?”

“We cannot-, you and I are not...”

“Not what? Compatible? Bullshit.”

“I see the way you look at me.” That shushed you. “But this cannot go on.”

“Oh really? Why not? You seemed to be enjoying it just as much as I was last night,” you bristled. A hand cupped your face. Hela’s eyes were filled with cold determination, but her touch was soft.

“I am a Goddess, dear,” she said. “You are human.”

“That didn’t stop Thor,” you bit back, and immediately regretted it. She looked taken aback a moment, and sighed.

“And where is she now, hm? Sweetheart, as much as I like it here, there isn’t a way where _we_ could ever be more than just this.”

“Don’t say that,” you whispered. “Don’t say you just _like_ it here. Because unless you’re a really good actor or just love fucking, last night was not you just _liking it.”_

_“_ Y/N-,”

“Say it, Hela. Please. This wasn’t just a one-off fuck, I know that. Tell me the truth,” you pleaded. “Tell me you want to _stay._ With _me.”_

Hela’s heart was throbbing with pain and love as she looked at you, young, thriving, alive, but so very mortal. Her throat was choking up, and she could barely make herself say it. 

You were about to plead and confess your stupid amount of love for her when the front door swung open. 

There stood Tony, in filthy and shattered pieces of armour. He was the only one who could probably override Alfred’s system without any hassle since he was the one who created it, but you yelped in surprise nonetheless.

Behind him were an equally filthy Thor and Black Widow, looking exhausted and defeated.

“Oh my,” you managed to say. Hela stepped away from you quickly, but the three newcomers saw your embrace nonetheless.

Tony, completely disinterested in Hela, came up to you quickly.

“Three things. Go,” he ordered, one of his iron gloves charging up. His eyes were wild, and you could barely process his words at first. You then began prattling off the three secret things you and him had agreed upon to be codewords between the two of you. When Tony realized it truly was you and believed it, he wrapped you in a tight hug.

“Ouch!” you exclaimed at the jutting metal scraps of his suit digging into your skin.

“Sorry,” he said, pulling away. “Had to make sure.”

“Y/N, the hell is going on here?” Thor growled, eyes darting between you and Hela, who was leaning against the counter opposite you, wearing regular clothes, arms unshackled and crossed nonchalantly.

“I- nothing. I should be asking you the same question,” you retorted. “Where’s Loki?”

Thor shook his head and your heart sank. 

“What happened?”

“This is her, then?” Natasha asked, your question ignored, eyeing up Hela. 

“Uh, this is Hela, my.. friend. Hela, this is Tony and Natasha.”

“Friend my ass, what the hell have you two been up to? Seriously, Y/N, it hasn’t even been that long,” Tony scolded, glaring at her.

“Hey, shut up, Stark. You don’t know half of it.”

“And neither do you, clearly. Have you any idea what’s been happening out there? Why the hell didn’t you answer any of my calls?”

“What? Everything’s fine here, and I haven’t been outside in a little while, okay? What’s happened?”

Thor slammed a hand against the wall, and if it wasn’t for Tony’s architectural reinforcements, he would’ve made a hole. “Thanos won.”

Hela’s face went pale, but you didn’t notice as you tried to remember what you knew about Thanos.

“What?”

“ _Thanos.”_ Natasha hissed, putting her hands on her hips. “Half the world’s just gone. Vanished. We lost.”

“Hold on, what are you even talking about?” you asked, confused, laughing nervously. “There’s no way.. you guys _never_ lose.” 

“They’re right, Y/N,” Hela whispered. Silence followed and you looked at her as if she’d grown three heads.

The four of you stared at the Goddess and she approached you carefully.

“That’s what I felt yesterday. Impending doom.”

“You... knew?” you asked, voice small. 

“Not exactly. But... there was _something,”_ her eyes darted over your face, trying to read your reaction as she kept talking. “I didn’t know it was Thanos at first, I swear.”

Thor rushed forward and yanked Hela back by her hair, spinning them around to slam her back against the wall. She groaned in pain and your heart jumped.

“Thor!” you yelled, but couldn’t do anything else.

“What do you know?” he growled. His hand was gripping her neck, the neck that had just been recovering from the red marks of the collar she’d been wearing for days straight. The neck that you’d kissed and stroked and admired just the night before. You blinked back tears, but held you ground. 

"Tell us!” he shouted. Hela breathing was ragged and you snapped, reaching to grab at his arm.

“Thor- Thor, please, you’re hurting her,” you began, and then quickly adding, “she can’t speak if you’re _choking her,_ you idiot!”

He let her go and she slumped to the ground. Your heart broke in a million pieces, but Thor held you back, whether because he knew you’d rush to her side or out of concern that Hela was a threat. The three Avengers aimed at your new lover pressed against the wall as they waited. 

“I knew of.. Thanos,” Hela grumbled hoarsely, looking at Thor and avoiding your gaze altogether. “We all did. You cannot go about conquering worlds and not know of Thanos. But he never came close to Asgard, so he was never a concern of ours.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, _sister,”_ Thor growled. “The minute we were back in space after we left you here, Thanos came to take the Tesseract, the Space Stone.”

Hela’s face drained of its remaining colour, and you listened intently to what he said, all good feelings of the morning and night before disappearing as Thor explained what had happened.

“He killed half of our remaining people,” Thor’s voice was nearly breaking. “For the sake of his mission. There’s hardly anyone left. And now _Earth,_ too!”

“Did you know Thanos was coming to Earth?” Natasha asked coolly. Hela shook her head slowly, her eyes misty. 

“Did he... kill everyone?” you asked, shaking. 

“He used the Infinity Stones to snap half of our population out of existence,” Tony said. “They’re basically dead, but not. Just... smoke.”

“Who?” you trembled, hugging yourself tightly.

“Fury,” Tony began, staring at the ground. “T’Challa, Wanda... Peter.”

“No!” you gasped, your mind reeling. You shook your head in disbelief, wobbly on your feet.

“They’re not the only ones,” Natasha added. 

“And there’s nothing we can do?” you asked. 

“We don't know yet. It’s been... busy,” Tony said. You grabbed a glass of water, shaking.

“Y/N,” Natasha came up to you and put a reassuring hand on your shoulder. You wanted it to be Hela’s.

“No, I’m okay,” you waved her away. “Just.. why did you come here? I can’t help you.”

“We needed to know what had happened to you.”

“And I need to take my sister away from here,” Thor said, pulling Hela up to her feet. “You’re in far too much danger with her.”

“What? No, Thor!” you exclaimed. Natasha held you back.

“She’s too dangerous, you were right. We have to get rid of her if she doesn’t have anything to tell us.”

“Thor, it’s fine. I’m alive, don’t you see? She hasn’t hurt me at all. Please,” you begged. “You’re not thinking straight. She’s not dangerous!”

“We need to make sure of any connections Thanos had, Y/N,” Tony said calmly. “And a Goddess of Death does sound suspicious, don’t you think?”

“Come along, sister,” Thor said gruffly.

“Where are you taking her?” your voice was thick. 

“Away from here, maybe Hel will be just as welcoming as last time. How about it, Hela? We may just have to banish you again.”

That set Hela’s eyes ablaze and she pulled away from Thor’s grip. Her infamous armour appeared, glinting black and green in the light. You paled as a large, menacing blade formed in her hand and she took a defensive stance.

“You will _not_ take me back there,” she hissed. “You’ll have to kill me first.”

“Yeah, pass,” Tony replied, aiming at Hela with one iron hand and shooting a beam straight towards her. You screamed at the flash, but she seemed unaffected. Her armour absorbed the shock and took no damage. The blade deflected Natasha’s bullets and she easily stepped away from Thor’s punches and kicks.

You were frozen to the spot, watching Hela with blood lust and battle fever in her eyes. Her mouth was pulled into a snarl and she managed to pin Natasha against the wall, blades sticking through the fabric of her suit, but leaving her unharmed.

Blinking, you realized she was avoiding hurting your friends, but at a great cost. She had to take the offensive blows without retaliation and you knew this new-found strength wasn’t going to last forever. 

An arm pulled you by the waist and Tony held you firmly, the distinct charging sound of his hand starting just by the side of your head.

“Yield, Hela,” Thor shouted, booming with anger. Once she saw they had you, she stopped. There was brief silence and Natasha managed to pull herself away from the blades.

Hela’s chest was heaving, her eyes flickering between each opponent. When she made eye contact with you, something broke within both of you.

“Let her go,” she ordered. Surely she knew they wouldn’t hurt you? 

“Not until you agree to come with us and give us the answers we need,” Natasha said.

“I have no _answers_ for you,” she said softly. “I cannot help you. I cannot fix what Thanos has done. Now let Y/N go and I will do as you say.”

“I don’t believe her,” Thor said. “She will very easily turn on you. My sister will only do what is in her best interest. Don’t let her go yet, Tony.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Tony whispered in your ear. “Just play along.”

You didn’t say anything and looked at Hela, knowing the pain she felt. If she complied, you’d become the puppet for the Avengers to use to make her talk, and that idea terrified both of you. She’d give herself up, even though she had nothing to confess.

“Hela, _please,”_ you whispered, trying to tug away from Tony’s grasp. She stared at you, battle armour and all, with a single tear spilling from her eyes. Her usually hardened demeanour was crumbling, and just when you thought she was going to give in, she turned, ran, and jumped straight through your window, shattering the glass and tumbling to the ground below.

A scream escaped your throat that you couldn’t recognize. Tony let you go as you hurried to the window to see Hela running away at lightning speed, disappearing behind buildings and crowds before you could say anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, here ya go guys. the angst was inevitable, but I hope you'll bear with me ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> angst!! (sorry)

You don't know how long you stood at your shattered window for. Your fingers were numb from gripping the windowsill and it had begun to rain. 

A warm hand covered your own and pulled you gently away before you caught a cold. Natasha sat you down in the living room and Tony set to work on your window. Thor handed you a cup of tea, and you could taste a shot of something had been added, but you welcomed it warmly.

“Should be fixed in no time, Y/N,” Tony was the first to speak up. Natasha sat next to you on the couch, staying quiet. Thor was pacing back and forth, impatiently.

“We have to find her,” he growled.

“No, we don’t,” Nat retorted. “Wherever she is, it’ll be a waste of time tracking her down.”

“She may know something about Thanos!”

“I doubt that, big boy,” Tony sighed. “If she knew something about Thanos, you really think she would’ve waited here with Y/N until we all came looking for her? If I’d been her, I would’ve fled ages ago.”

“You don’t know my sister, Stark.”

“Well, clearly you don’t either.”

“If you knew what Hela was capable of-,”

“Please, be quiet,” you said, softly. The two men ceased their bickering and looked at you. Tony crossed his arms and sighed.

“Wanna tell us what happened?”

“I- I don’t know, okay? She.. _we_ became close, that’s all. I liked her. I think she liked me too.”

“Y/N, she’s a merciless killing machine,” Thor spat. “She cannot be trusted!”

“She didn’t kill me, did she? She had plenty of chances, but never killed me. Nor did she ever run away even after she was free.”

“And why exactly did you free her?” Natasha asked. 

“Because I trusted her. I trust her still. She didn’t hurt any of you, nor me. She’s just protecting herself.”

“And then she ran off and left you alone. Very trustworthy.”

“It’s not that _simple!”_ You slammed the cup on the coffee table, angry tears streaming down your face now. “It’s not _fair._ You guys can’t just come in here and- and fuck everything up!”

Startled, the three looked at you, quiet for once. 

“She- she was _wonderful._ Better than _anyone_ I’d ever met! And then you _fucked it up_. And now I’m alone, again, because you guys refuse to ever _talk_ to anyone!”

You were gasping for breath as you cried, and Nat hesitantly drew your into a hug. You slumped in her hold.

“Instead, you just come in here with weapons ablaze, and scare the shit out of both of us. I thought.. this time, I _really thought...”_

You blinked more prickly tears away.

“We’re sorry, Y/N. But it’s over now, and she’s not coming back,” Natasha said. “You think she’ll come back after what’s happened?”

“She wouldn’t just... leave. She has no where to go.”

“I doubt that,” Thor interrupted. “She has plenty of places around here she can fit right into. Maybe a goth band.”

Natasha threw a pillow at him.

“Y/N, come with us. Your place needs to get cleaned up. We’ll get you sorted out, and it’ll get better, okay?” Natasha cooed you quietly. “But you can’t think about her right now, nor can you trust her.”

“She killed thousands of people without a second thought, and almost killed me, too,” Thor said. “If it came down to it, she would kill you too.”

You felt numb. Part of you screamed outrage at what they were saying, but you felt like you had no other choice. You had no idea what was going to happen next, and now you were alone again, unsafe and vulnerable. At least the Avengers stuck around, right? Maybe Hela really was just waiting for a wait out.

You heart ached and you felt tears welling up again, but you quietly nodded. Natasha helped you pack a bag and Tony set the security locks for your place before you shut everything off and locked the door behind you.

* * *

Hela’s lungs were on fire from gasping for so long. Not because she was out of breath from running, but she was out of breath from crying. Cold tears stung her cheeks as she finally came to a halt somewhere deep in the city. Car horns and chatter sounded all around her.

She paced on a stretch of sidewalk for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts, trying to keep your scream out of her head. The way you pleaded, cried out, struggled to help, was burned into her memory. It hurt more than all the memories of people she’d killed, all the blood she had spilled, and her heart broke over and over again.

Her eyes shifted to glance behind her every few moments, expecting a hammer-wielding God or a man in armour to come charging at her at any moment. The idea of being blamed for Thanos’ work or having to face him or the grief of your friends terrified her. Thanos was not something she could face, at least not in the state she was in now. 

Her body ached from the sudden exercise and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She wanted to eat something, Hela decided. Not that she needed to, but she wanted to. 

Snatching a hotdog off of a lonely vendor, the man shouted at her at first, but one glare shut him up. There was a kid with a hotdog staring at her as she devoured it, mustard dripping on his shirt that depicted a star surrounded by white and red rings.

“Are you an Avenger?” he asked, gawking. She looked at him, incredulous, wondering if you would’ve been mad if she killed this kid on the spot just out of spite. Instead, she raised her foot and nudged him until he stumbled and dropped his hotdog. Amid his sniffly cries, Hela grabbed another hotdog and marched away, fuming. 

She could no longer feel the impending doom of the past few days, and she realized it really had been a sign of Thanos’ incoming attack. Her mind ached with worry, something she wasn’t used to. She was worried about you and your loved ones, and even the Avengers. Even her asshole of a brother who tried to kill her multiple times. 

She’d become _soft_ and _caring,_ Hela realized. She snorted despicably at the sensation, but it ached with a need for comfort as well. Your comfort. She wanted to be back in your home, with cozy heating and food for days. But if it meant you being in danger, she’d have to hang out here in the slumps of the city, in secret, until she could figure out how to protect you and what to do next. 

Hela passed an ice cream shop. She had learned what shops were here, how they worked, and what to do, but she con’t be arsed at the moment to follow any of the etiquette you had advised her on.

Stomping inside, she demanded the largest portion of green tea ice cream they had. Their diner TV was on, news of the ‘Blip’ keeping all their attention.

“Unusual flavour!” the worker at the cash register commented, clearly flustered by a customer acting normally for once. “Extra large then?”

“Give me the whole tub,” she ordered, eyeing the container that a co-worker was scooping ice cream out of.

“Sorry, ma’am, we can’t do that, you’ll have to order a size-,”

Hela lifted her leg and smashed the cash register, bills fluttering in the air. “ _Now.”_

Trembling, they did as she asked, and she took the ice cream scoop that came with it as well. On the way out, she kicked the door hard enough that the glass in it shattered too. 

You had once told her, humorously, how many people your age would binge-eat ice cream and other sweets when heart-broken. Now, Hela understood why. 

She wasn’t worried about the Avengers fighting her. Clearly, they were more concerned with you and half their population disappearing than with tracking her down. 

People took no notice of her, they seemed accustomed to people walking down their streets with horns coming from their heads and carrying a freezing cold tub of ice cream. 

Hela walked far enough until she reached the supermarket you had taken her on her first trip out in New York. She bunkered down next to a homeless fellow sitting by the front door. He had a little cap on the ground with a few meagre coins tossed in it, and he was clearly startled by the angry goth woman coming to sit next to him, chomping ice cream. 

She offered him some, he refused, and so she kept eating in silence, glued to the spot, despite the cold weather and stares.

And that was how Loki found her. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Loki interlude

Loki was incredibly annoyed at the current situation. 

He’d woken up on a random, clunky spaceship with a pounding head and a bruised neck. He remembered the world going blank and being quite certain that he’d been dead until, frustratingly so, his lungs gasped for the most painful breath he’d ever taken. 

A janky pirate ship had snatched him from floating in space amongst the debris, stripped him of his armour -no doubt to sell or melt down into other knick knacks- and left him in the back amongst the cargo. They’d presumed he was dead, so when he had woken up, they had a bit of a shock. 

Not a word was comprehensible, Loki couldn’t understand whatever gibberish language they spoke, so he ignored them and shuffled to their food supply. That got him a whack on his back from a whip and a kick to the back of the knees. 

Trying to take back his armour also earned him a few bruises. They didn’t seem very dangerous, but quite a nuisance. 

Amongst the cargo he found familiar debris that struck an icy chord inside Loki. There were piles of Asgardian clothing- ripped and filthy, but Asgardian nonetheless. Bags with very few belongings, and metal scraps of the ship they had been on. 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the remainder of the ship of refugees was probably lost. When the pirates began to beat him again for rummaging through their stuff, a rusty old pipe amongst the stolen goods helped quiet them down immensely. 

With his kidnappers knocked out, Loki scarfed down what measly rations they had and set course for Earth at light speed -well, the closest speed they got to light speed which was more like a quick paced jog. 

He tied up the crew and tossed them in the back, and lounged in the cockpit as the ship traveled on autopilot, picking scraps of food from between his teeth. 

Communications on this ship were absolute garbage, he concluded. There was barely any signal and he couldn’t figure out where the closest planet was. So, he took a nap, ate some more food, and tried not to think too much about the harrowing experience of Thanos choking him to death.

Hours later, they entered a very familiar atmosphere. Loki let the ship crash-land, grabbed a bag of few supplies and hopped out just before they hit the ground. 

He marched on through the thicket of trees where they landed. Angry shouts that were no doubt curse words echoed from the smoking ship as he left them behind and tried to gather his bearings. 

An old cabin was the first building he saw. With a rusty dagger at the ready, he inspected the home around the back, looking for a vehicle he could take, something to get him moving faster than his legs, when suddenly a high pitched shriek nearly shattered his eardrums.

A young girl, no older than six, was staring at him with big brown eyes. Rain boots covered in mud, an aged stuffy in her hands. Loki put his finger to his lips, dreading that he was going to have to kill the girl before she gave him away or screamed bloody murder. 

“ _Daddy!_ There’s an Avenger in the yard!” she sped off towards a shed, where there was a light on inside. Loki’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Whatever outcome he was expecting, this was by far the worst. 

“I’m not- _fuck.”_

He shoved the dagger away and out of sight and stomped towards the shed, fuming with annoyance. He was about to go off at the man for letting his daughter talk to random strangers and how he certainly was _not_ an Avenger, but the man in question had a large saw in hand and about 200 pounds of muscle to carry, so he snapped his mouth shut. 

“Oh, hello there,” he said, his daughter bouncing about the workshop. “What brings one of you all the way out here?”

“And where exactly is _out here?”_ Loki asked.

“Canada! What, you superheroes never been to Canada before? Always hanging around New York, eh? Are you taking a trip or something?”

“No. I, uh, crash-landed here.”

“From space?” the girl piped up, gawking.

“Yes, from space,” Loki said through gritted teeth. “Fighting angry aliens.”

“I _told you,_ Daddy! He’s a _hero!”_

 _“_ I bet you’re trying to find your way to America, then? Lord knows why, there’s all kinds of weird things happening around town nowadays.”

“What do you mean?”

“Half the world’s gone! Poof! Just like that, some alien business I bet.”

“Are you going to save us from them?” his daughter asked again. Loki sighed.

“I’ll try my best. Now, can you please show me how to get to New York as fast as possible?”

The lumberjack’s husband took Loki and his daughter in his jeep and drove a merry long way to the nearest airport. On the way, the little girl asked him all sorts of questions about the Avengers, that he could only half-answer.

“Is it true Thor is _super_ powerful?”

“Well. He’s not _that_ powerful. He just uses a hammer. Anyone with a hammer can use it as a weapon and suddenly be considered _powerful.”_

 _“_ I wish _I_ had a super powerful hammer. Then my brothers would stop teasing me so much.”

“Hey,” her second father softly scolded.

“They’re _mean!”_

 _“_ Sibling feuds? I know the feeling,” Loki muttered.

“Do you have siblings, Mr. Avenger?”

“Sure do,” he smiled wryly. “Absolute bullies.”

“Me _too!”_

 _“_ Hey now, let our guest settle down a bit,” her dad said. “She gets a little excited around new people, so sorry.”

“It’s no problem.”

“The local airport’s just up here. It’ll take you to Detroit, and then you gotta get a connection flight to New York.”

“Thank you,” Loki said, genuinely.

“Why are you going to New York, Mr. Avenger?”

“To find my siblings,” Loki sighed. “At least, one of them should still be there.”

“But they’re _mean_ to you?”

“Yeah,” Loki pondered as the car came to a stop. “But they’re family. I suppose.”

-

A few cunning lies and disguises later, Loki was suddenly landing in New York, amidst chaos. It had been a few days since he’d woken up, and apparently a few days since what they call the ‘Blip’. Humans _clearly_ don’t like having their realities altered. 

Your home was abandoned. Alfred didn’t even greet Loki at the door, and no amount of pulling and prying opened it for him. The lights were off, and he feared the worst.

It wasn’t until he was in the streets and overhead muttering about some crazy goth lady terrorizing a nearby street that Loki thought he had finally found something. 

He marched down the street until, to his surprise, he found Hela sitting hunched on the side walk, scowling and daring anyone to come close to her. She looked incredibly tired and disheveled, but her eyes were clear and angry, and recognized her idiot brother immediately. 

“What the _hell_ brought you back here?” Hela snarled. 

“A toddler’s wisdom, if you’ll believe it,” Loki said, ignoring her glare as he sat down next to her. 

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

Hela grumbled. 

“Have you eaten?”

“Since when did you become Mother? I don’t need your help.”

“Really?” Loki picked up a filthy scoop from a pile of three ice cream tubs that were fully devoured. He dangled it from his fingertips for a moment, pulling a face. “I think you do.”

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Glad to see you too, sister.”

Silence. Hela really did look like shit, Loki noted. Her hair was mussed, and there were rips and broken pieces in her armour, reminiscent of the time they’d met. She had to be weak not to bother fixing it with her powers, or was just too preoccupied to even think to fix it. 

“Where’s Y/N?” Loki asked. 

“Beats me.”

“Did you kill her?”

Hela’s eyes snapped to his, a sudden fire in them. “How _dare_ you say that?”

“Well, her home is abandoned and no one answered the door, and you’re here cowering like a criminal. One makes conclusions.”

Something changed in her expression, and she turned her body to face him. “Abandoned?”

Loki frowned, “yes. Didn’t you know?”

“No- I.. I’ve been here, the last time I saw her…” 

Hela jumped to her feet, nearly kicking Loki in the process. “That _bastard,_ he took her, didn’t he? Him and his awful, forsaken pieces of shit he calls _friends._ ”

“ _Who?”_

 _“_ Our darling brother,” she spat. “He came in and- and _threatened_ me, and then _took_ her from me.”

She paced in front of him, green fire trailing behind her heels, hot with anger. She had expected you to come find her, take her back to your home, make her feel safe. But when you never came she had assumed you had abandoned her. Now, knowing Thor had taken you instead, filled her with rage.

“Where does your little posse hang out, hm? Some supposed secret lair? A great big castle in the sky?”

Loki blinked at her, at her sudden outbursts, at the scared glances from passerbys, and didn’t know what to say.

“ _Fine_ then, I’ll get her myself,” she growled, turning away from him. 

Loki nearly let her walk away, let her walk into whatever doom she was getting herself into, but with a groan and a mad realization, he knew she was the only one he could rely on right now.

“ _Wait,”_ he said, reluctantly, hurrying after her and grabbing her arm. “You can’t just go running off. Tell me what happened.”

Hela spat at his feet. “I don’t need to tell you anything.”

“You care about her, don’t you? Y/N? Why else would you want to ‘rescue’ her from our brother?”

“Be silent,” she hissed.

“No, no, I’m right, aren’t I? You care for her, but you messed up, and now you have no one on your side. That’s why you left, and that’s why Thor had to take her.”

Hela yanked her arm away before Loki could see her face, but he knew what she felt; remorse, and loss. 

“Tell me.”

And so, reluctantly, knowing she had no other choice, Hela sat him down, this time on an actual park bench rather than the ground. She told him what had happened, how her mistrust had turned to affection for you, and how Thanos had destroyed everything in the end, and how the Avengers had fought her out of fear.

“I know the feeling,” Loki agreed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, watching an elderly lady feed a bunch of pigeons as if nothing drastic had happened to the world the past few days. 

“And now I don’t know where she is, and she probably _hates_ me, but who am I to blame her for that?”

 _“_ If I know anything about Y/N, is that she cares about everyone, but it takes a lot more to win her love. She doesn’t hate you. She’s just afraid. I mean, you _did_ after all break her window and run off into nowhere.”

Hela stayed quiet, made an annoyed sound in her throat, and looked away.

“I’m starving, how did you get all that ice-cream? Why not an actual _meal?_ Or were you just eating your feelings?”

“Y/N doesn’t like it when I kill people, so it was either massacre the street or steal their dairy products,” Hela bristled. 

“Fair enough.”

“Now what, hm? You come out here, seemingly from the dead, chastise me for messing up, and now judge my diet? What do you _really_ want, Loki?”

“Not sure, to be perfectly honest,” Loki said. “I thought I was dead, and then I wasn’t. Frankly, my priorities are shifting.”

“And what is your current priority?”

“Getting you back to Y/N so you stop moping around and fix this.”

“And how do you suppose we do that?”

Loki grinned, standing up. His armour shimmered and regained its full glamour; horned helmet and deep green cloak. 

“Taking notes from me, are we?” Hela grumbled. Loki glared at her.

“I was wearing this look _long_ before you got here. Now, get up, we’re going to infiltrate the Avengers and give you your romantic happily-ever-after so you stop being such a pain in everyone’s neck.”

“You think we’ll just be able to _get in_ _?_ You really are as mad as Father was.”

“I’ve broken into quite a few places over the years, I’ll have you know. I’m the God of Mischief after all.”

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” Hela stood, her own armour strengthening again. 

“Shut it.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Tony have a discussion as Hela and Loki sneak around.

The New Avengers Facility was by far the most luxurious hideout you'd ever encountered. It was also incredibly large and perfect for aimless exploring. 

The Avengers, though concerned for you once you arrived, quickly lost focus of you as they began flitting about their machines and computers to see what the hell was happening around the world. 

You were given your own room, fully furnished with a well-stocked mini fridge. There was a camera situated outside by the door, so they’d know if you went in or out.

Normally you would’ve protested the house arrest, but you couldn’t be bothered suddenly. You were numb. 

The Facility was massive. It varied from small cozy lounge areas to large open spaces for training, meetings, and all sorts of experimental engineering. 

You were curled up in one of the tinier corners on a brown leather sofa. The rest of the place just seemed so _pristine_ and _neat_ and horrifically modern, no offense to Tony’s design tastes. There was a digital fireplace and heater, yet the 3D projection of the actual fire made it seem real. Only thing missing was the smell of burning wood. 

“Thought you’d have run off by now,” grunted a voice behind you. Tony had come into the lounge. You kept looking at the fire.

“I have no where else to go, Tony,” you said bluntly. Over the past few days you’d been reading up more and more from the news, contacting people you hadn’t talked to in ages. There were a few distant friends and relatives who’d been taken by the Blip, and your heart ached at the ones you hadn’t been able to see one last time. 

“Besides,” you sighed, breaking your gaze from the fire as Tony came to sit across from you, “none of you would have let me leave even if I really tried.”

He leaned back, stretching his body nonchalantly, and you noticed how weary and thin he actually looked. Dark circles under his eyes, and his fingers seemed to be twitching or twiddling consistently.

“What happened to you?” you muttered. “Why do you look like shit?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, waving his hand, “spent some merry time in space, that’s all. Wasn't planning on being stranded there, but here we are.”

You didn’t ask anything else. Instead you got up, walked to the near sink and pulled out a kettle from the cupboards to make yourself some tea. 

“Okay, let me ask _you_ a question,” Tony said in the silence, twisting in his seat to watch you, resting his head on the back of the sofa. “How on earth did you end up falling head over heels for a psycho?”

You snorted, grabbing a teabag and a mug, “you could ask Pepper the same thing.”

Tony clutched his chest in mock offence, “Ouch. Cold-hearted.”

Grinning, you steeped your tea, and turned around to look at Tony, “it’s not that simple, Stark.”

“No, I think it is,” he said.

“Well fine,” you sighed, slightly exasperated, “she was in my house with me alone, for days. At some point we ended up talking and actually getting to know each other. She opened up to me, and I to her and.. that was it.”

“And how do you know she wasn’t lying to get a way out?”

“She _wasn’t._ She’d never.”

“But how do you know? Wasn’t it you who always thought you had to give things time? She’s lived for thousands of years, Y/N. You’re a fruit-fly compared to her.”

“Why has this turned into an interrogation?” you snapped. He held up his hands, 

“I’m not interrogating. Just trying to understand.”

“Why did Jane fall in love with Thor, huh? At the time he was a ridiculous, self-absorbed and mindless God who didn’t know how the hell this world worked. Why did Pepper fall in love with you? A narcissistic millionaire playboy who loves to play games and doesn’t take anything seriously?”

You paced the floor as your tea cooled down, fuming,

“Why the hell does anyone fall in love with _anyone,_ huh? Who gets a fucking say in how they feel? And why do you guys have so little faith in me to trust what I feel? I’ve kept secrets for you, I’ve hidden you in my home, I’ve been a part of so much secrecy, and suddenly when I get a _little_ heart-eyed at someone, you act as if I’ve been brainwashed.”

Tony didn’t say anything for a moment. When you met his eyes, they were a little wider than before, looking at you questioningly. 

“In love, huh?”

You blinked.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Uh-huh, you did.”

“N-no, I didn’t, I said I-”

Your face became red, fumbling over your words.

Tony got up from his seat and clapped his hands as he sauntered over to the exit.

“Let’s go sparring, hm? Haven’t done that in a while,” he offered. You tried to cool your cheeks, forgetting about your tea steeping behind you.

“That’s cause I _always_ lose,” you retorted. “You guys work out like your life depends on it. Which... it does.. I guess.”

“Yeah, but look at the state of me,” Tony spread out his arms and did a spin. “I’m feeling like trash. You’ll take me down no problem.”

You doubted that, but followed him anyways. 

* * *

“Ah, _fuck!”_ Hela swore as another branch tugged at her helmet.

“Will you _shut up?”_ Loki hissed, crouching down and peeking through the trees. “God, you’re even more infuriating than Thor!”

Hela was breathing heavily, aching, grumpy. 

“You really are a pain when you’re not around Y/N, aren’t you? You’re not going to massacre all the Avengers just because you’re peeved, right?”

“Be silent, filth,” she spat. Her brother only rolled his eyes. “What do you see?”

“I thought you wanted me to be silent.”

Hela whacked the back of his head and he grimaced, 

“Alright, alright. Look yourself, it’ll be hard to get in undetected.”

Hela peered over his shoulder. He was right; there wasn’t a lot of hiding spaces or shadows. Well-lit with open spaces, the modern-style building looked quite distasteful to Hela. She pulled a face, both in annoyance and disgust,

Loki chuckled, “I’m glad you hate it too.”

“Shut up,” Hela hissed, before scurrying off further into the trees to explore the perimeter. 

“Where are you- _Hela!”_ Loki whispered hoarsely, hurrying after her. 

She was looking for weak spots, places with no cameras, a spot to sneak in. But she also had no idea where you were, and with the vastness of the buildings she worried if she’d even find you on time.

“Hela,” Loki hissed. She shushed him again, eyes searching the upper floors.

“ _Hela!”_

_“What?”_

_“_ Look,” Loki pointed downwards. A little further in the distance outside, surrounded by well lit lights, stood you and that iron-armoured man, both with wooden sticks in your hands, the length of a short blade, thick enough to wrap your whole hand around it.

“Come on, let’s go back, before they see us,” Loki hissed, grabbing Hela’s shoulder. “At least we know she’s here.”

But Hela couldn’t move. You were wearing dark grey sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie, and sturdy boots. You looked tired, but were a vision to her. The man with you wasn’t wearing his armour, and suddenly looked a lot less threatening.

Loki watched, amazed, as his sister’s armour shimmered. The horns disappeared from her head and her cape faded until she was only in black, blending into the darkness.

She dared another step closer.

“Widen your stance,” the man said, waving the stick around. “Now try to attack.”

Hela watched you practice, your grip a bit clumsy and your stance a bit wobbly, but you were determined. She recalled the day she pulled a fork on you as a weapon, and winced a bit at the memory of the fearful, defenceless look in your eyes.

“Like that?” she heard you say, bending your knees and lowering your core.

“Good, but stay light on your feet, otherwise you can’t dodge.”

Your voice was like music to her ears, and hot tears prickled at her eyes. She missed you. So much.

“Stark, what the hell are you trying to do?” two more men had appeared. One blonde, and large, wearing a tight shirt and jeans. The other, dark, dressed in similar casual clothes.

“Gentlemen! Welcome to this exclusive defence lesson.”

“You’re by far the worst defence teacher out of all of us, Stark. Y/N won’t learn shit from you.”

“You wound me, Captain.”

Hela watched you shake hands with the other.

“Oh, Y/N, this is our friend Rhodey, also known as the War Machine.”

“Pleased to meet you, despite the.. unideal circumstances,” the newcomer shook your hand respectfully and flashed a smile. Hela flared with jealousy, and subconsciously bared her teeth.

“Easy,” Loki whispered.

The four of you paired up, you against Tony, but watching Captain’s instructions as he sparred with Rhodey. 

You were not held under lock and key, and Hela worried a moment. Did you go willingly with them after all? Did you forget about her? Was it foolish to even attempt a rescue?

Your laugh rang into the night as Rhodey tackled a distracted Steve, and both dread and joy filled Hela’s heart.

“Okay, try again,” Tony encouraged you. You swung at him a few times as he blocked and dodged. 

Then, you saw her in the darkness. A flash of green eyes, and Tony took your distraction to his advantage, swiping your leg from under you and you fell to the ground with a thud.

Hela nearly shot out of the tree line to protect you if Loki hadn’t stopped her. Then she heard a groan and chuckle coming from you,

“I told you I’d lose.”

“Don’t get distracted then, kiddo.” Tony held out his hand and hoisted you up. Hela growled at the camaraderie and slunk back in the shadows. “What were you looking at?”

He began to turn to follow your eyeline, and you paled,

“N-nothing! I- I was daydreaming.” He looked back at you.

“Not a good idea to daydream while fighting, Y/N,” Steve said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m not used to this, you know?”

“It’s about time you were taught,” Tony clapped your shoulder. 

“You want to learn anything from the War Machine himself?” Steve asked, nodding at Rhodey.

“Oh, I-I’d love to. But, maybe tomorrow?” you suggested, desperately trying to avoid looking at Hela in the distance. “I’m quite.. tired.”

The men seemed to agree and chatted as they headed back into the building. Tony swiped at Steve as they walked, who promptly tugged the sparring stick from him. 

You hurriedly looked around into the darkness, wanting to see another glimpse, hoping you didn’t imagine it. But when you couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, you worried if you really had gone insane.

Steve called after you, and your heavy feet carried you back inside to settle for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is fucking INSANE. only a few chapters left for this!! Don’t ask me about the timeline alterations because me trying to make sense of the canon and trying to make it all fit is making my brain explode!! I hope you like it, love you all!!! Stay safeee


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